All-Thumb Boys Team is loaded once again

Published 8:00 pm, Wednesday, April 8, 2009

THUMB AREA— The 2008-09 All-Thumb Boys Basketball Team, presented by the Thumb Sportswriters Association, has it all, from an undefeated team to the closest Player of the Year vote ever.

This year’s Player of the Year voting was decided by one third-place vote as Brown City’s A.J. Burton just edged Unionville-Sebewaing Area’s Brandon Bitzer.

Joining Burton and Bitzer on the first team are Brown City’s Jack McPhail, North Huron’s Sean Clancy, Ubly’s Jordan Kaufman and Millington’s Tyler Reinert.

All six make their first appearance on the first team.

Voting for the Team of the Year wasn’t nearly as close. North Huron received all five first-place votes to become the only unanimous selection in TSA history.

The Warriors rolled to their first undefeated season in over 25 years en route to finishing the regular season 20-0 and winning the outright North Central Thumb League title. They ended up 21-1 as they lost a hard-fought Class D district championship game to Bay City All Saints.

Meanwhile, USA coach Mark Gainforth earned his second TSA Coach of the Year honor after he guided his Patriots to the Greater Thumb West championship and a fifth straight Class C district title.

The TSA, which consists of scribes from The Huron Daily Tribune, Huron County Press, Lapeer County Press, Sanilac County News and Tuscola County Advertiser, broke down the players into a first- and second-team consisting of six players each, along with honorable mention.

Nominations from area coaches were used, as well.

A 5-3-1 voting system was used to determine the major awards.

Before the season started, Ubly was tabbed as the favorite to win the Greater Thumb East.

That only served to motivate Brown City and its talented senior duo of Burton and McPhail.

“Going into the year, everybody thought Ubly,” said Burton. “We knew going in we had to do something about it.”

The 6-foot-2 guard responded with an all-round effort to lead the Green Devils to the outright GTE title, and a pair of victories over Ubly.

Burtonled the All-Thumb First Team with 4.3 assists per game.

“I would rather have Team of the Year,” he said. “I feel very honored winning this award with the likes of Jordan Bitzer winning it and Kevin Ginther. It’s a great honor to achieve.”

Burtonwas also widely regarded as one of the best shooters in the Thumb.

“A.J. is probably the best shooter I’ve ever seen, let alone played against,” said Brandon Bitzer.

McPhail led Brown City in scoring with 18.9 ppg to go along with 6.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.1 steals.

A 6-4, McPhail was asked to play more in the post this season, although he was still lethal from outside.

“We’re just fortunate to have those two guys together,” coach Burton said. “How it helped us was if there’s one player, teams can really isolate on one. But it’s a little tougher with two.

“As two kids in the same grade, they’re probably the two best shooters that we’ve had together. If anything sets them apart from other kids that have come through our system, is they can both shoot lights out.”

Burtonand McPhail are the first teammates to be named to the All-Thumb First Team since 2005-06, when the USA duo of Jordan Bitzer and Steve Koch made it.

“It’s great to be here with a teammate, it’s great to share it with him,” said McPhail. “If I wasn’t on, A.J. was on. It was never really both of us.”

Coach Burton was on hand for the TSA photo shoot at USA High School, where the official announcement was made for the Player of the Year.

“With the group of young men here tonight, it could have gone to any one of those kids,” he said. “It’s a lot of balance, with some outstanding players.

“I’m sure in his mind, he shares this with everybody.

“He’s always been a person about the team, and not himself, and Jack’s the same way.”

McPhail, along with USA’s Bitzer join their older brothers as the only siblings to be named to the All-Thumb First Team.

The inaugural All-Thumb Team in 2005-06, saw Jordan Bitzer win the Player of the Year, along with Justin McPhail representing the Green Devils.

“I think it’s tough to follow your brother, and I’m sure Brandon faced the same thing,” coach Burton said. “But I would say both of those young men had outstanding seasons.

“As a coach of one, and an opposing coach of the other, I’m extremely proud and honored about how they played all season. I think they both did a good job following the footsteps of two outstanding brothers.”

McPhail talked about playing in the shadow of his brother.

“My brother was a really good player, it was hard to fill his shoes,” he said. “I don’t know if I filled them quite well, or played as good as he did.

“We play different on the floor. He wanted to score, and I wanted to do other things.”

At USA, Bitzer missed the first seven games of the season due to a shoulder injury.

When he returned, he made up for lost time, averaging 16.1 ppg, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals.

With Bitzer out, the Patriots stayed in the GTW title hunt, losing just two games.

“At the beginning of the season, it was tough — our guys stepped up,” Bitzer said. “I give my guys credit, they played really good basketball at the beginning of the year.

“At the beginning of the year, we knew that nobody was going to believe that we were going to be any good.

“We came together as a team. Coach said the only way we were going to do this was doing it together.”

Bitzer wasn’t allowed to do anything during his injury.

“I was itching (to come back) the whole time,” he said. “The only thing I had trouble with was conditioning. That was tough, I took about a month and half off with no running at all.”

Like McPhail, Bitzer followed his brother playing varsity basketball.

Bitzer had a lot of pressure to succeed.

“Coach Gainforth told me that either you’re going to be known as Jordan’s brother, or you can make your own legacy,” he said. “He told me that my freshman year.

“I believe I made my own legacy.

“It’s kind of frustrating being Jordan’s little brother, but I feel like I did a pretty good job.”

Clancy was the driving force behind North Huron’s unbeaten season.

Despite playing limited action in some games due to the margin of victory, the 6-4 junior lead the All-Thumb First Team with 19.0 ppg to go along with 7.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.4 steals.

“Sean worked on his game all summer,” said North Huron coach Paul Empkie. “(He is) all business when it comes to improving.”

At the TSA photo shoot, Clancy commented on being included with players from the GTW, GTE and Tri-Valley East.

“These guys coming from the big leagues, and I’m from small North Huron — it’s pretty cool,” said Clancy. “(I’m) just trying to keep the NCTL alive.”

Clancy isn’t concerned about making the first team again, or even challenging for Player of the Year.

As long as North Huron is contending for league and district titles, he will be happy.

“This is a team thing, so it’s cool to represent them,” he said. “Next year, we don’t want to lose until we meet Bay City again. It’s just going to be focused on our team.

“John (Iseler), Anthony (Irvine) and Justin (Ventline) did a great job. Now, we just have to play with a chip on our shoulders.”

At Ubly, Kaufman accomplished what only a few before him have done by making the All-Thumb Football First Team, and doing the same in basketball.

The 6-3 senior forward was named Player of the Year by the TSA in the fall after guiding the Bearcats to a Division 7 runner-up.

In basketball, Kaufman helped Ubly finish second in the GTE to Brown City by averaging 16.1 ppg, 8.4 rebounds, 2.8 steals, 1.6 assists and 1.1.

He turned in a career-high 41 points in a win over Harbor Beach.

Reinert continues Millington’s run of having a player on the first team.

The 6-0 senior guard follows 2007-08 Player of the Year Dustin Griesing.

“It was pretty tough following him, I had to do everything after him,” said Reinert. “I had to take every position that he had. Everyone was looking for me. Teams usually put their best defensive person on me all the time. I had to work (hard) for everything I got.

“To be up here with all these great athletes, these are the best that there is. I’m just honored be with everyone that’s here.”